Texas Exes Back UT President Bill Powers

Reacting to persistent rumors that new appointees of Gov. Rick Perry to the University of Texas Board of Regents are considering firing top UT administrators, the Ex-Students Association of the University of Texas at Austin Thursday issued a resolution expressing “complete confidence in the leadership of President Bill Powers.”

The resolution, signed by Texas Exes president Richard Leshin, a Corpus Christi attorney, praises Powers as “a tireless advocate for the University” and notes that he values “academic research and great teaching.”

The statement also refers to the 2004 Commission of 125, a two-year study by distinguished citizens who developed “a vision of how the University of Texas can best serve society for the next 25 years.”

Calling the commission “the most comprehensive work to-date to guide the future of the University,” the Texas Exes’ statement noted that Powers had implemented reforms in undergraduate curriculum recommended by the commission.

In May 2008, Gov. Rick Perry began pushing higher education reforms conceived by Austin businessman Jeff Sandefer, whose “Seven Break-through Solutions” have caused a firestorm of controversy in Texas higher education. He advocates rewarding teachers based on student evaluations and de-emphasizing research and tenure.

UT stalwarts and faculty at both UT and Texas A&M University have protested that the ideas would destroy the national reputation of Texas’ top public research universities. The Texas Exes’ resolution also noted that the Texas Constitution established UT as “a university of the first class” and that alumni association’s mission is to protect the University.